InterDigital faces challenges from Dolby (to patent asserted against Disney) and Samsung (to $1 billion arbitration award)

Context:

• In a global patent infringement campaign initiated against The Walt Disney Company last year (February 3, 2025 ip fray article), InterDigital gained two video streaming patent injunctions in Munich (November 21, 2025 ip fray article), as well as anti-antisuit relief from the Unified Patent Court’s (UPC) Mannheim Local Division (LD) and presumably also the Landgericht München I (Munich I Regional Court) (May 30, 2025 ip fray article). Last October, InterDigital also got support from the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), which filed a statement of interest in its defense against Disney’s antitrust allegations (October 7, 2025 ip fray article). The patent asserted in the U.S. was United States Patent No. 9,185,268 (“Methods and systems for displays with chromatic correction with differing chromatic ranges”). Late last month, several German tech media outlets reported Disney switched off Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and 3D (with the Apple Vision Pro), thereby degrading the quality of its offering. They speculated that patent enforcement could be the only plausible explanation, given that these measures affect only Germany. Meanwhile, in the UK, for example, Disney’s streaming service offering still comes with those features (January 23, 2026 ip fray article).
• After InterDigital and Samsung were unable to fully close a patent licensing deal related to Samsung’s mobile device business, the companies turned to arbitration to determine the exact royalty amount. Last July, InterDigital announced that the arbitration panel set the total royalties at $1.05 billion for the eight-year patent license, which commenced on January 1, 2023 and runs through December 31, 2030 (July 30, 2025 ip fray article).

What’s new:

• Dolby yesterday filed a petition for inter partes review (IPR) of InterDigital’s ‘268 patent in the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO’s) Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB).
• In parallel news, InterDigital’s Q4 2025 report, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday, revealed that in December 2025, Samsung filed a request to the International Chamber of Commerce seeking to challenge the previously determined royalties.

Direct impact and wider ramifications:

• It is reasonably assumed that the alleged infringement is caused by Disney’s usage of Dolby Vision. While the InterDigital injunctions did not target Disney directly, its actions have indirectly had a heavy impact on Dolby’s share of the market (especially in Germany). The company will be seeking to gain an upper hand in the U.S. as it aims to gain some ground back economically.
• While it is not publicly known what the applicable terms to Samsung’s actions are, it is generally very difficult to challenge an arbitral award.